Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month, which could not be better timing as far as I’m concerned.  I’ve been avidly following recommendations from Debbie Reese, who writes over at American Indians in Children’s Literature.  Before last month, I had reviewed only a single book on this blog that was written by, or primarily about, a Native American, at least one that was done properly.  And as I grew more aware of this exclusion, I became more determined to remedy it.  Obviously, no group deserves to only have their books featured in a special section just about them.  Ideally, books about people of color, Native people, characters belonging to religious minorities would all be featured mixed in with my usual picks every month.  And going forward, I will be making an effort to do that. But the fact is that I have a lot of catching up to do.  And honestly, so does the publishing industry.  Sometimes, it’s simply not possible to find books with the diversity I’m looking for, within the theme that I’m using.  So this month, I’m featuring books about Native American characters, in honor of Native American Heritage Month. But the important thing is, I’m going to read books that have been recommended by Dr. Reese, because if I’m going to fill a gap in my reading, and introduce you to new books, I want them to be the most appropriate, faithful representations of Native Americans I can find.  And as white reader and someone who has not devoted years of study to the topic it is critical that I rely on the guidance of an expert in the field. I am very excited for this months offerings and I hope you are too.